Gifts
Victoria Stanski is Program Development Advisor in Yemen.
Recent Posts
Yemen May 21, 2012 11:16AM
Humanitarian needs demand urgent attention
Victoria Stanski
Program Development Advisor
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After last year's revolution, Yemen is not only navigating a challenging political transition, but also faces an acute humanitarian crisis that threatens the lives of millions of residents.
Unpredictable violence has displaced more than 500,000 Yemenis, while food and fuel prices are rising and basic services have deteriorated. Current reports estimate that 5 million people are severely food insecure, and approximately 48% of the population does not have access to clean water.
Mercy Corps, along with fellow aid agencies, is part of the Humanitarian Communication Network advocating for greater international support to Yemen. HCN produced this video to encourage the Friends of Yemen to prioritize a response to these critical needs. The multi-national group of countries, including the U.S., U.K., Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, is meeting this week to discuss Yemen's transition and economic recovery.
Mercy Corps has worked in Yemen since 2010, beginning with youth programs to promote community involvement, job skills and peace-building. We're currently addressing urgent needs by providing emergency food, rehabilitating water supplies and setting up safe spaces for children to continue school.
Download the accompanying report to learn more about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Also available to download in Arabic.
Video
Yemen April 26, 2012 5:05PM
A fresh coat of paint can make all the difference
Victoria Stanski
Program Development Advisor
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Yousry Mehdi, as part of our Empowering Youth for a Stable Yemen project, leads a community service project rehabilitating part of the local mental health hospital in Aden. Photo: Victoria Stranski/Mercy Corps
Yemen’s youth are demanding change across the country on a large scale, but I’ve also seen them bring it in their communities one improvement at a time. Through our Engaging Youth for a Stable Yemen (EYSY) program, Mercy Corps is working to keep Yemeni youth away from violent activities and extremist groups by channeling their time and energy into civic life.
A few months ago, I visited ten young people in Aden who launched a community service project to bring a ward at the city’s Neuro-Psychiatric Teaching Hospital back to life. Over the course of three days, they provided new bed sheets and cleaned and painted a 208-patient section that was previously unusable.
“I passed by this hospital every day and wanted to do something to help,” said Yousry Mehdi, who is currently studying business management. His brother Yasir and friend Iman Hamood agreed, adding, “We wanted to take action to develop our lives and community.”
All three young men participated in EYSY workshops to prepare for the project. This USAID-funded program helps young people form positive social connections and overcome generational and community divisions with a combination of conflict management, consensus building and leadership training; dialogues between community, government and youth; community service projects; and internships.
Yemen December 28, 2011 3:23PM
Assessing needs in Yemen
Victoria Stanski
Program Development Advisor
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Veteran aid workers Richard Jaquot and Mugur Dumitrache recently visited Yemen to assess the prospects for helping supply water, provide work opportunities, and support the psychosocial needs of communities impacted by the country's mulitple crises.
Approximately 400,000 people have been displaced in the north and the south. Other families who remain in their homes face significant challenges due to the massive unrest, including loss of livelihood, power outages, fuel shortages and rising food prices.
I spoke with Mugur, a water-and-sanitation expert on our emergency response team, about what he saw during his visit.
Mugur Dumitrache, a water-and-sanitation specialist on our emergency response team, visits one of the boreholes that supply the city of Taiz during his assessment. Photo: Richard Jacquot/Mercy Corps
What was the purpose of your visit to Yemen?
I came to Yemen to assess the humanitarian needs in the context of the displacement crisis, in particular focusing on water and sanitation needs. Yemen is one of the most water insecure countries in the world. Experts say that Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, is likely to run out of water by 2020. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace confirms this looming disaster. They say that Sana’a will be the first capital in modern history to run dry. So Yemen and the international community need to closely examine the country’s immediate and longer-term water needs.
